Windows 8 discussion (8.1 Update coming April 8)

Quick question about Windows 8. One of my long-time annoyances in Windows (from 2000 onward, I think, or maybe XP) is the quick folders on the left. Windows Vista/7 introduced a new sidebar with the Downloads folder, the clouds, and then Computer. Some dialog boxes still use the old sidebar, and that has completely different shortcuts. It's a giant PITA. Does Windows 8 at least unify these? That's one of my biggest problems in 7 right now.

NO, it doesn't. It can't really, those dialogs are hard coded into some of the old runtimes. The smart thing would be for each framework to just make a system call to the current open/save dialog so it will always use the latest dilaogs, but no one did that

Quick question about Windows 8. One of my long-time annoyances in Windows (from 2000 onward, I think, or maybe XP) is the quick folders on the left. Windows Vista/7 introduced a new sidebar with the Downloads folder, the clouds, and then Computer. Some dialog boxes still use the old sidebar, and that has completely different shortcuts. It's a giant PITA. Does Windows 8 at least unify these? That's one of my biggest problems in 7 right now.

NO, it doesn't. It can't really, those dialogs are hard coded into some of the old runtimes. The smart thing would be for each framework to just make a system call to the current open/save dialog so it will always use the latest dilaogs, but no one did that

Some people did that... their apps work right.

Even with a framework to build on, there's almost nothing you can do to prevent someone from developing their own screwy UI if they're determined to.

Stupid question, but ever since I installed Windows 8, the "device disconnect" sound is randomly playing, suggesting that something is disconnecting randomly (I never hear the connection sound). Is there a log somewhere that would tell me why this sound is playing?

Stupid question, but ever since I installed Windows 8, the "device disconnect" sound is randomly playing, suggesting that something is disconnecting randomly (I never hear the connection sound). Is there a log somewhere that would tell me why this sound is playing?

Go to Computer Management and check the application and system logs. See if there's something there.

Saw this mentioned on engadget today... Apparently in windows 8.1 the smart search will include bing ads in the search results. The source, via techcrunch, was a bing ads blog post from yesterday. I'm not in front of my win 8 system so I can't check but the blog post makes it sound this whole smart search piece is new in 8.1 but maybe I'm reading that wrong and it is only the "enhancement" to includes ads that is new.

Apparently in windows 8.1 the smart search will include bing ads in the search results

The search has a "use Bing for search" toggle which is enabled by default, if that's enabled you get Bing search results including ads. If you toggle that toggle you don't get Bing results when you search and you don't get ads, just your local app, setting and filesystem search results.

Apparently in windows 8.1 the smart search will include bing ads in the search results

The search has a "use Bing for search" toggle which is enabled by default, if that's enabled you get Bing search results including ads. If you toggle that toggle you don't get Bing results when you search and you don't get ads, just your local app, setting and filesystem search results.

Not sure I'm fond of it being enabled by default but since it can be toggled off so you just get local results and no ads it isn't as annoying as it first sounded.

Stupid question, but ever since I installed Windows 8, the "device disconnect" sound is randomly playing, suggesting that something is disconnecting randomly (I never hear the connection sound). Is there a log somewhere that would tell me why this sound is playing?

Go to Computer Management and check the application and system logs. See if there's something there.

I think I found it, although we'll see if I fixed it. Apparently the "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller" is somehow the culprit. I suspect it has to do with the option to allow the computer to turn it off to save power (despite the fact that it's an AIO). I unchecked that, and we'll see if it works.

I just started to hate that Metro shit some more. Seems it's impossible to write anything like a JIT compiler in a WinRT app, or do any other sort of dynamic code generation, because things like VirtualAlloc are off-limits, making it impossible to allocate memory that's executable.

Doing something like that wasn't on my radar up until now, so I missed it I guess. Still annoying, tho. It was a nice optimization strategy for that modular synth pet project of mine (turning 10-20 million indirect calls a second into direct ones, stopping the branch predictor from shitting itself).

Doing something like that wasn't on my radar up until now, so I missed it I guess. Still annoying, tho. It was a nice optimization strategy for that modular synth pet project of mine (turning 10-20 million indirect calls a second into direct ones, stopping the branch predictor from shitting itself).

Don't use Windows RT, problem solved, it's meant for the averag user so they stop screwing their systems by installing all the crap that's on the net, you need a Windows 8 tablet instead

I just started to hate that Metro shit some more. Seems it's impossible to write anything like a JIT compiler in a WinRT app, or do any other sort of dynamic code generation, because things like VirtualAlloc are off-limits, making it impossible to allocate memory that's executable.

The security restrictions in the WinRT API are really annoying, and cause significant slowdown in development. Another example of a simple thing that you absolutely cannot do is take a screenshot. For "security reasons".

Doing something like that wasn't on my radar up until now, so I missed it I guess. Still annoying, tho. It was a nice optimization strategy for that modular synth pet project of mine (turning 10-20 million indirect calls a second into direct ones, stopping the branch predictor from shitting itself).

Don't use Windows RT, problem solved, it's meant for the averag user so they stop screwing their systems by installing all the crap that's on the net, you need a Windows 8 tablet instead

He's trying to develop a synth tool for those "average users". As such, he doesn't have much of a choice in where he develops on as long as he cares about Windows as a platform.

I do hope that MS makes the new RT stuff more robust, but I could have sworn that RT interface language was available for desktop apps...

Anyone install 8.1 on a Surface Pro? Any special steps necessary? I googled and only found instructions for leaks pre-preview. UEFI was not working, needed to create virtual folders, etc. Wondering if the ISOs available from TechNet just install or if more preparation is necessary?

Anyone install 8.1 on a Surface Pro? Any special steps necessary? I googled and only found instructions for leaks pre-preview. UEFI was not working, needed to create virtual folders, etc. Wondering if the ISOs available from TechNet just install or if more preparation is necessary?

He's trying to develop a synth tool for those "average users". As such, he doesn't have much of a choice in where he develops on as long as he cares about Windows as a platform.

WinRT is an easy environment for pet projects. That's one of the reasons. Also, I'd like to make a few bucks off my hobby the easiest way possible, and that's through the Windows Store.

My app works, but it's just sad that there's a bunch of effective of optimization techniques that games and apps like my synth could profit heavily from (self-modifying code and dynamic code generation), but aren't allowed to for some half-assed reasons (gotta prevent the jailbreak). In my case, it'd be dynamic code generation to avoid indirect calls like the plague. It would result in a 15% speed up.

I think I remember Mozilla crying foul at the EU commission in regards to that, since they can't write a JIT in WinRT either. Hope that leads to somewhere.

I do hope that MS makes the new RT stuff more robust, but I could have sworn that RT interface language was available for desktop apps...

Yeah it is. But the XAML stuff isn't accessible (technically it is, but the API is constructed in such a way you can't feed the necessary HWND to the CoreWindow class representing a Metro app). WPF is probably dead in the water by now, just like Silverlight.. And Windows.UI is faster, too.

All you do is install this, then upgrade to 8.1, while remembering that you'll have to Refresh to get the final release later down the line since you're using Windows 8. Windows RT (such as the Surface RT) does not need to do the Refresh to get RT 8.1 later.

Anyone install 8.1 on a Surface Pro? Any special steps necessary? I googled and only found instructions for leaks pre-preview. UEFI was not working, needed to create virtual folders, etc. Wondering if the ISOs available from TechNet just install or if more preparation is necessary?

Thanks,

Did you try the download update that just updates to 8.1?

I'm looking on TechNet and I am not seeing a simple update. I downloaded the full iso, but apparently there is something else.

A family member (who should have known better) downloaded and installed an old-school RPG, downloaded from “somewhere on the Internet” for a younger family member on my Windows 8 desktop, which helpfully installed SweetPacks, stij.exe and who knows what other Malware. I spent several hours cleaning, but realized that there’s just no way to be sure it’s clean, so decided that now is a good time to try out the Windows 8.1 Preview.

I’m downloading the 64-bit version iso now on a different Windows 8 PC. I plan on performing a clean install, with no need to save any settings, etc. I’ve already backed up necessary data.

My question is will I be able to download a Windows 8.1 iso when the official RTM comes out and install with my existing Windows 8 Pro Product Key, or will I have to do a clean install Windows 8, then upgrade to 8.1?

I plan on doing another clean install of 8.1 when it’s officially released.

It might also be a good time to try the Refresh option of Windows 8. That's essentially a reinstall while keeping Metro apps and personal files intact. A Reset is a full reinstall. Barring of course, any infection that might be hiding in other partitions or MBR.

If you have a Windows 8 key, you will have to install Windows 8, then use the Store to update to 8.1. There will be 8.1 specific keys that do not need a base 8 install. Remember, you can't go from Windows 8.1 Preview to 8.1 RTM. Windows RT CAN upgrade to RT 8.1 without a reinstall (just reiterating for future posters).

One thing CXE could do that I think would make the desktop experience nicer without compromising the new model would be to have any CoreWindow apps opened from the desktop (e.g., through File Explorer) open in the new split view by default. This would help people who liked to stay in the context of the desktop do so without introducing extra complexity of having two sets of default apps for example (as I've seen suggested) or adding some concept of modes or whatever. In fact, unlike "compromises" like adding the start button or boot-to-desktop which I think are basically non-solutions to non-problems and (slightly) undermine understanding of the new model (but whatever), this would actually reinforce the model (of the desktop being an app) since in 8.1 apps that launch other apps get split-screen by default (this is why file viewers launch from the public 8.1 preview Mail app in split view BTW - it's not that the Mail app got updated to do this, it's that the default behavior of the existing Win8 APIs for launching apps got changed. Both the source and target apps of app-to-app launch actions can also override this, or rather express their preferences, which the system will take into account along with the remaining space on screen in some new negotiation algorithm to decide how much space the resulting app window actually gets), so why shouldn't the desktop be consistent with that?

Also surfacing 50-50 splits of the desktop and CoreWindow apps more often by default would help undermine the (wrong) "two modes" model a lot of people seem to have in their head about how the system does/should work and behave, since when the desktop and another app are sharing your screen equally, which mode are you in?

It might also be a good time to try the Refresh option of Windows 8. That's essentially a reinstall while keeping Metro apps and personal files intact. A Reset is a full reinstall. Barring of course, any infection that might be hiding in other partitions or MBR.

If you have a Windows 8 key, you will have to install Windows 8, then use the Store to update to 8.1. There will be 8.1 specific keys that do not need a base 8 install. Remember, you can't go from Windows 8.1 Preview to 8.1 RTM. Windows RT CAN upgrade to RT 8.1 without a reinstall (just reiterating for future posters).

I really wanted to try a clean install of 8.1

I'm composing this from my new 8.1 install; one interesting thing is that since it didn't have drivers for my wireless network adapter, I was able to complete the install using a local account, rather than a Microsoft Account. This tells me that if you disconnect your network cable, or otherwise keep it off the Internet for the install, you will have a local account. You can then add a login with Microsoft Account after the installation.

You have to turn on libraries to appear in the sidebar. Public folders are still there too, dunno if they're in the libraries by default though. I always removed them anyway and I haven't done a clean install.

WinRT has 0% marketshare and leverage. There is no way you can apply anti-trust. iOS has magnitudes larger share and they haven't come under scrutiny. It would be silly and hypocritical for a regulator to pick on WinRT but allow iOS to run free.

You have to turn on libraries to appear in the sidebar. Public folders are still there too, dunno if they're in the libraries by default though. I always removed them anyway and I haven't done a clean install.

I'll do that.

I have 2 logins on this PC, one with the Microsoft Account, the other a local account & want to access the same documents, picture & videos from both.

I used Hitman Pro to help eradicate the SweetPacks infestation before the clean install of 8.1, then right after the clean install, I had SweetPacks search in Chrome. It had inserted a line in the Chrome Profile config file to restore the url of Sweetpacks. I installed Hitman Pro again, just for good measure & it false positives on;

⦁ netprofm.dll⦁ themeui.dll⦁ wmdrmsdk.dll

Also, the issue with setting custom search only affects the Microsoft Account login, not the original local login. I'm not sure what that's about, but it may be the IE11 enhanced security configuration, because after installing Office 2010, I received the following;

"'Office Document Cache Handler' from 'Microsoft Corporation' isn't compatible with Internet Explorer's enhanced security features and has been disabled."

When I click the "More info" link, it just spins the hourglass & never loads the page, just like it does when I try to go the iegallery to add a search provider.

The security restrictions in the WinRT API are really annoying, and cause significant slowdown in development. Another example of a simple thing that you absolutely cannot do is take a screenshot. For "security reasons".

Well, while the new XBox Music interface is better on 8.1, the software now freaks out when I select all my music and hit "play". It immediately jumps to 50% utilization and eats 2.5GB of RAM. It becomes very unhappy when I just tell it to select random songs from all 9000 of them I have.

I don't know why it's treating this as a monumental task, but it gets to the point that the UI won't respond and sometime in the first two songs, it will crash. Doesn't do this with streaming music.